


We Came To Dance

by Owlix



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Dancing, M/M, Rossum's Trinity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-22
Updated: 2014-02-22
Packaged: 2018-01-13 10:04:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1222213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Owlix/pseuds/Owlix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodimus decides to teach Drift how to dance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Came To Dance

_Strike up the band, play a song that everybody knows_

_If I'm not your kind then don't tell a soul_

_I'm not the one who hates bein' alone, so come on_

 

 

Drift had been slowly teaching Rodimus to use a sword. 

He’d half-expected Rodimus to bail - he hadn’t been good at it at first, and he liked being good at things. But to Drift’s surprise, Rodimus had stuck with it. So when Rodimus had requested - well, ordered - Drift’s presence in his quarters in a brief text message that said he wanted to “teach him something too,” it made a certain amount of sense. Drift had expected fighting techniques, though, not --

“Partnered dancing,” Rodimus repeated, at Drift’s incredulous expression. “It’s an old Earth traditional custom.” He turned around to fumble with the audio equipment, his back to Drift - trying to find a particular playlist and setting it to loop.

“What kind of custom?” Drift asked. They had their own forms of dancing too, but Earth customs were different. The humans’ fixation on couples and pair-based-activities seemed to seep into everything about their species' culture - understandable, once Drift had figured out just how they reproduced, and almost endearing in its own way, if a little silly and obsessive.

“A bonding ritual,” Rodimus said, and Drift knew him well enough to catch the faint fluctuation in his vocalizer. “Me and Bee learned it from watching TV back on Earth. It’s fun. But you need a partner to do it properly. Someone roughly your own size, too, or it doesn’t work.”

He finally cued the music up. Earth music, but different than the kind that Blaster and Jazz were fond of, although Drift didn’t know enough about the subject to explain exactly how. Older, maybe - the recording popped with analogue artifacts.

Rodimus stepped up close without any regard for Drift’s personal space - a disregard that Drift cherished, so different from the wide untrusting berth most of the crew gave him. He stood close enough that Drift could feel his warmth and hear his faintly thrumming engine.

“Here,” Rodimus said, his voice very close and softer than usual. “You put one hand like this” - he guided Drift’s hand to his own shoulder and left it there. “Okay, but not so gentle. Firm, so I can feel it. Yes, better. And the other - yeah, like that, but not so tight.” Rodimus positioned his own hands - one still holding Drift’s, the other firm at the small of Drift’s back. He seemed uncertain where exactly to put it, shifting the position more than once.

Drift laughed softly. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”

“Hush.” Rodimus adjusted his hand's position one last time - a little firmer and slightly higher-up, fingertips sliding across Drift’s spinal struts. “The human tradition is to decide who leads based on gender, but…” Rodimus grinned. “That won’t help _us_ , so I’m pulling rank. Captaining privileges and all that. I’ll lead. You follow.”

Rodimus spoke the words casually and sincere, with no thought of any broader meaning. Drift tried to hide the spark-deep response they pulled from him. _Always_ , he wanted to say. Instead he managed a shaky nod.

Rodimus didn’t notice - he was listening to the music. Concentrating. “When I step forward, you step back. When I step back, you step forward. Right back forward. Left forward back. Then repeat. Got it?”

“I think so,” Drift said, and Rodimus grinned at him and counted out loud as they moved.

“One _two_ three _four_ ,” he said, voice low and close to Drift’s audio receptor. “Back _forward_ forward _back_.”

They were clumsy together at first, but it was far from the first time they’d moved in tandem. After a couple songs they had the basic movements down, and just as important, a growing understanding of the way they both moved together. Rodimus began adding more steps, and correcting Drift’s form and adjusting his own to compensate. Because, as quickly became clear, neither could change their movements without affecting the other. Rodimus couldn’t simply move without considering Drift’s response and signaling his own intentions. And for Drift there was a careful balance to be struck, somewhere between simply following and anticipating.

They moved together, Rodimus’ chest just barely touching Drift's, his fingertips on Drift’s back giving little hints of where and how he would move next. And it reminded Drift a little bit of fencing, inverted - cooperation and transparency replacing competition and misdirection.

“I told you,” Rodimus said, grinning. “Fun right? Here, I’ll spin you.”

“What do you-” Drift started to ask, but Rodimus was already guiding him through the steps. Drift, used to following Rodimus’ lead by now, spun away from him to the rhythm of the music. Only Rodimus’ support kept him from falling. And Drift trusted him - trusted him before he had the time to doubt, trusted him immediately and absolutely. Like when their backs bumped up against each other when they fought together. But this was different. Better, maybe. No violence here. Just the rhythm and the music and their fingers intertwined.

Rodimus pulled Drift back, reversing the spin. Drift’s feet found their steps automatically, with just enough grace to avoid stepping on Rodimus’ feet. He came to rest heavily against Rodimus’ chest. Rodimus’ engine revved as he chuckled.

“Nice,” Rodimus said. “See? I knew you’d be good at this.” He spoke about Drift’s success the way he always did - half bragging, half claiming it as his own by virtue of their closeness. Rossum’s Trinity - Rodimus was always glad to share their successes, and just as willing to share the burden of their individual failures. “Although I suppose it also says something about my leadership skills...”

The next song came on - a more modern recording, with none of the analogue pops and hums of the others, but still a similar sound. And Rodimus had gone briefly quiet, waiting for Drift to taunt or tease back.

Instead Drift abruptly tightened his grip, pulling Rodimus' chest flush to his own. He began moving to the rhythm of the new song. Rodimus responded with his own tighter grip - following where Drift retreated and retreating where Drift stepped forward. He took the lead again, and Drift gave it to him.

The music played on. Rodimus began to hum along with it, softly, sometimes mouthing the words, his voice only audible because of their mutual closeness.

The playlist ended, and repeated itself from the beginning.

They danced.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a friend.
> 
> The song lyrics at the beginning are from We Came To Dance by The Gaslight Anthem.


End file.
